I was rummaging through the pantry drawers the other day when I came across a pack of 5 vanilla beans. I decided to make a batch of vanilla sugar with them. Have you ever tasted vanilla sugar before?
Well if not, you may want to add vanilla beans to your list of must-have baking ingredients because it really does give your baked goods {and morning cuppa!} and an extra kick in the deliciousness department.
Kind of like the same way adding a little espresso powder to your chocolate cake does. It just amps everything up a little bit. Plus, vanilla sugar is super easy to make {trust me, don’t buy it, make it instead. It’s way cheaper!}
When I make mine, I like to toss the vanilla bean paste and the sugar in the blender and give it a quick whirl to make sure the bean paste is evenly distributed.
If you have some mad stirring skills though, you could totally skip this step. But I like mixing it in the blender for another reason… It makes the sugar super fine. Which is perfect for dusting cookies with.
Here’s my simple recipe.
Have a great day everyone, enjoy the sunshine!
~Mavis
P.S. Here are 10 fun facts about vanilla beans. #8 was a surprise to me!
Vanilla Sugar
Ingredients
5 vanilla beans
3 pounds granulated sugar
Instructions
Add sugar to the blender {or a large bowl}. Scrape the vanilla bean paste from the vanilla pods and add the vanilla bean paste to the sugar. Using your blender pulse the sugar and vanilla bean paste a few times until the sugar and vanilla paste is evenly mixed {this can also be done in a large mixing bowl and a spatula}.
Pour the vanilla sugar into an airtight jar and store in your pantry. Use in baked goods or your morning cuppa just as you would regular sugar.
Note: Since I store my vanilla sugar in such a large jar, I typically throw the extra {scrapped} vanilla pods into the jar as well. For no other reason than hey, I might as well get every bit of vanilla out of the pod. 🙂
Fun Fact: The entire vanilla bean is actually edible!
laura says
thank you for the reminder!! i have made vanilla sugar in the past (for sweet little gifts!!) but had forgotten how much it adds to a recipe! now to order vanilla beans. . .
J in OH-IO says
Your microwave/spice pantry is very pleasing to the eye with how everything is displayed and within reach.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thank you! 🙂
Donna says
OOOOOO!!!! Sundays are French toast days in our home. I always have cinnamon and sugar blended and ready to sprinkle on top….but how much better would that be with vanilla sugar and cinnamon!!
Claudia says
How do you measure fine super for a recipe?
Mavis Butterfield says
Same as you normally would. 🙂
Dana says
Add the vanilla beans after you scrap them vodka to make vanilla extract
Margo says
I would do it by weight. Weigh a cup of regular sugar, then you know how much fine sugar you would need to replace it with.
Wendy Lato says
I wonder if the used vanilla beans can be stored in alcohol to make vanilla. It might still have enough vanilla flavor to work.
Mavis Butterfield says
It might. >> https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/how-to-make-your-own-vanilla-extract/
Tiffany F says
I would imagine you could. It might need to sit a little longer, or use more for a stronger flavor.
I actually do the opposite. I use the vanilla beans to make vanilla, then when I’ve used up my vanilla I make vanilla sugar. I do exactly what Mavis does. I scrape the beans, mix the paste in with the sugar, then throw the beans in the jar with the sugar.
Sherry says
Thank you for that recipe. I cannot wait to try it. A couple of questions. Where did you get the jars at, they are beautiful. Also, what do you use the dried orange slices for?
Mavis Butterfield says
Weck jars. I used them for mulling spices. >> https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/diy-homemade-mulling-spice/
Claire says
Hi Mavis, you mention the whole vanilla pod is edible, soooo I could blend the pod into the sugar too!
Joan M Richard says
Thank you for this recipe. Have you ever made your own brown sugar?